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Is a shark 'nudge' the same as an attack?

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Shark attack reporting inaccurate says study

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 30 January, 2013 : - - The term 'Shark Attack' is being used to describe all sorts of encounters between humans and sharks, leading to inaccurate reporting and misconceptions about shark risks, researchers say. A new system to classify the risk for swimmers and divers has been proposed by University of Sydney doctoral candidate Christopher Neff and Dr Robert Hueter from Florida's Mote Marine Laboratory's Center for Shark Research.

In a study published in the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, the authors analysed shark statistics from NSW and Florida and found the term "shark attack" was misleading in many cases. For instance in NSW, a 2009 government report documented 200 shark attacks, even though 38 of those involved no injuries to people.

"A nudge on a kayak is not the same thing as a shark attack," Mr Neff told AAP. "You're just scaring people for no good reason if you call a shark sighting a shark attack. It suggests the shark has intent or motive and it doesn't give you any information on what happened."

The study authors have put together four categories to classify shark incidents by, including shark sightings, shark encounters, shark bites and fatal shark bites. "We're essentially trying to inform beachgoers better. These categories provide better information so that people can judge their level of risk based on local shark activity," Mr Neff said.

"If we can talk about it in a more informed way, we can have policies that reflect the varying level of the way sharks interact with humans." He said there was no standard set of principles to guide reporters, governments or scientists on shark attacks and he hoped the classification could be used internationally